His bones shivered, sweating profusely...his prison wear was drenched in the wetness of his body, the training sessions were classified in different groups, but his was the most gruesome of them all...
Given the role of an infantry soldier, he was commissioned to perform intense training tasks, in one of the most gruesome training facilities within the Willow's Ground.
---
Located in a graveyard, a total of fifty one subjects were spotted moving forward while pulling heavy metals with their hands chained together, each had a Slaver appointed to them.
All sweating and panting due to the intense stress.
Riley received a whip across his back, his arms were chained together, he groaned out loud, struggling to pull the orbital shaped metal few metres behind him, weighing three tons, Riley tried catching his breath.
But every second he slowed down, he was whipped by the Slaver appointed to watch him, covering hundreds of kilometers within a few minutes, pulling it to and fro, the scorching sun fell upon his skin.
Riley collasped on his knees, struggling to catch his breath.
He got whipped three times by the Slaver who commanded him to rise, but he refused, he stayed adamant, sitted on the ground while being whipped consecutively, this drew the attention of other subjects.
There were about fifty subjects who were given the same treatment like him but they were given lesser objects to pull, his was the heaviest.
The consecutive whipping of Riley caused everyone else to stop what they were doing in the yard, their attentions were fixed on Riley as he kept on being whipped without moving an inch.
It drew even the attention of the Training Supervisor who emerged into the scene, escorted by four armed Slavers, Riley noticed the approaching figures, their sterned gaze were fixed on him.
But he refused to move.
" What's going on here? " The training supervisor questioned, the Slaver who was appointed to monitor Riley turned his gaze, saluting the Training Supervisor who stood before him with his hands behind his back.
" Sir, this miscreant of a Subject has refused to continue his training, although I've tried whipping him, he's yet to move an inch " the Slaver reported, tension grew in the air.
" What is that Subject doing? does he want to kill himself? " A subject whispered, even though their lives weren't in danger but they felt fear, they knew what was going to happen next to Riley.
A Subject going against the orders of a Slaver is punishable by death.
" Hmmmm, what an interesting Subject, I remember your face..... weren't you the one who luckily came out victorious against those ten sergeants huh? do you know what you have done? " The Training Supervisor questioned.
" Yes, my arms were fractured by the stress.....while the rest pulled less than a ton, I had to pull three tons consecutively, I'm just a normal human like them, I need stress " Riley answered.
" Normal human huh? that's where you are wrong child "
The Training Supervisor uttered, he slowly brought out his pistol, pointing it against Riley, Riley flinched at the sight of the pistol, he knows the training supervisor could kill him any second.
" There's nothing normal about us, we are gifted....gods to the normal humans and dogs to our government, you are a mere soldier, a sergeant who's yet to understand the true meaning of the world "
" We survived the great apocalypse by following orders, I'm sure you know what the punishment of defiling a Slaver's orders is right? " the Training Supervisor questioned, he cocked his gun.
Riley rose up from the ground, standing on his feets, a smirk escaped his lips.
" I entered this yard when the sun is yet to rise and I'm stayed here for hours, I know the punishment of my actions and yet I did it, shouldn't that tell you that may be what I want? " Riley asked.
His words came as a shock, suprising everyone present.
A smirk escaped the lips of the Training Supervisor, he was mesmerized by the bravery of Riley, he's been in the Willow's Ground for years, yet he has never seen a child this brave and twisted.
" So what you're telling me is you want to die huh? I don't mind honoring that wish of yours " the Training Supervisor stated, he placed his hand on the trigger button, threatening to shoot but Riley remained firm.
" I'm suffering in the hell..... yesterday I watched my fellow Subjects get killed for no reason "
" Although I was scared a bit at first but then I thought about it, they are dead right? gone and forgotten, they aren't alive to suffer anymore, the Apocalypse which existed twenty years ago broke the world "
" We're mere shells of what we used to be, the perfect civilization then "
" So they aren't alive to suffer in this shit hole, so if I'm dying today, won't i be free as well? " Riley questioned, he stared directly into the empty gaze of the training supervisor, the training supervisor giggled softly.
He pulled the trigger, the gunshot resounded.
It sent Riley staggering back, coughed in his own pool of bloods, the training supervisor let's out a giggle, he kept his gun back into it's shelf, turning his gaze, he faced the Slaver appointed to watch Riley.
" Lock this child is the G-Zone " He commanded.
The Slaver turned his gaze, staring at the lifeless body of Riley before facing the training supervisor, he had a confused look on his face, shouldn't the order be to toss his corpse away and burn it?
" But sir, isn't that child dead? " The Slaver questioned.
" If he was, I would have asked you to feed his corpse to the night creature we had caged, although I shot that child but he blocked it using his mana, I'm not blind that I couldn't see behind his trickery "
" Do as I've commanded and seal him in the G-Zone, I'll visit him when he wakes " the training supervisor declared, walking out of the yard..... everyone returned back to their training while Riley was dragged out.
[Meanwhile]
A sound of giggle escaped his lips, their eyes were fixed on the screen before them, Director J-X remained in his darkened space, with the Zonal Co-ordinator standing behind him, witnessing everything from the screen.
" What an interesting kid, he blocked the bullet with mana shield but if he really wanted to die, why didn't he just the bullet kill him? " Director J-X asked.
" That's his instincts, He spoke the truth, he wanted to truly die but his instincts blocked the bullet, perhaps there's a reason why he still holds the desire to live huh? perhaps a loved one? " The Zonal Co-ordinator asked.
" I doubt that's so, that child.....he lost his parents at a young age, his mom and his little sister were victims of night creatures attack against his village, he joined the military because not even the orphanage accepted him "
" In his military academy, he had no reason to live.....he simply wanted to make money, just to live and he's a lifeless child " Director J-X explained.
" I guess you will have to delay the Commander's wishes, let's experiment on that child "
" Once we are done with him, you can kill him however you like " The Zonal Co-ordinator adviced, the Director remained silent, his eyes squinted, with his gaze focused on the screen before him.
" That child.... there's something weird about him, a darkness which dwells in his heart, I want to know why he makes me feel this way, what's hidden in that good for nothing bastard! "
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Clang!
The sounds of metallic door opening erupted, he was sent flying into the empty cell, hitting his back on the metal wall, the Slavers who threw him in glanced at him for a few minutes, he was spat on.
The door was sealed seconds later.
He was locked in the G-Zone, a confinement sealed from the rest of the Willow's Ground, a domain laced with anti mana barrier and prison cells built on intense Zuranium steel, a growl escaped his lips.
Slowly opening his blurry eyes, he moved his body, resting his back on the wall.
A bullet fell off his face, hitting the ground, he giggled softly.....he used his Hunter's Insight to block the bullet from piercing his skull and used blood manipulation to create pool of bloods.
His plans to fake his death was a failure after being detected by the Training Supervisor.
" Tch, here I believed my escape plans were a success but I guess it's not possible to deceive those high level folks " Riley uttered, he remained in his darkness, not moving from his spot.
The Talent Disruptor artifact within the G-Zone prevented his summon from reaching out to him, temporary blocking connections with them.
" What am I going to do? am I truly going to die in IPac, if I must find her, I cannot allow myself be trapped here " Riley said to himself.
" I'm quite desperate perhaps I'll take my chances, if I climb the ranks of the IPac, I may be able to bring her back, I may be able to find Amy "
Riley said to himself when he noticed something, the shift in space itself.
The lightbulbs outside his cell went off, covering everything in absolutely darkness, he shifted back, staring directly at the crimsoned eyes which gazed into his cell, he felt a presence far ominous.
The lightbulbs flickered.
Regaining power minutes later, he glanced around....but found nothing, what he felt was something he which caused his body to shiver.
the feelings he felt back on his first deployment as a rescue soldier, the feelings of death that caused his heart to race.